KR2008 Alternate Storyline Episode 7
by SaiyaGirl1
Summary: Episode 7 - Nightmares: A rash of disturbing nightmares breaks out through the FLAG Compound. The entire Team is on edge, and reflects why and how they ended up where they are.
1. Chapter 1

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 7 – Nightmares**

Author's Note: Wow! Episode seven! We've really come a good distance so far, haven't we? I want to thank everyone for staying with me this long. I must be doing something right!

This episode is coming out a bit more slowly than the others. That's because I am spending extra time to make it just right. This is an important episode, as we learn more about my characters and their pasts. About what brought them all together in the first place.

I hope everyone enjoys this one! I know I enjoyed writing it!

**Chapter 1**

Kat bowed her head as the Priest droned on and on. His words blurred together until they were unrecognizable. She stared down at her black dress shoes. She didn't think she could bear seeing the coffin lowered into the ground again.

She knew where she was. This was Mom's funeral.

A strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her tightly to it's owner's side. She looked up at Sam. His face was grim. There were tears in his light blue eyes. Kat's own tears had long since dried up.

Kat knew she was dreaming. This had all happened years ago, when she was still in college. When their mother died, only Sam and Kat were left. Kat's father had died when she and Sam were both children. Her father's only relative was a younger brother, but he had died when Kat was still a baby, so she had never known him. Her mother had been an only child.

She knew what would happen next. Sam would turn to her, tell her that he would take care of her until she finished school. She didn't have to worry about anything. He would put a hold on his career, come back home and make sure she was taken care of. And she knew what her response would be.

She looked up at Sam expectantly, but he did not turn to her. He watched as their mother was buried. His expression was different. Thoughtful. He dropped his arm from her shoulders and took her hand in his.

Finally he turned to her. "Come on." He said quietly. He tugged on her hand and led her away from the funeral. "Mine is this way."

Kat let him lead her. She felt dread coming on slowly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go where he led, but she couldn't bear to pull her hand from his.

"It's not that far." He said, smiling at her gently.

Kat hadn't seen him in so long. Had he always been this tall? This broad? She couldn't remember him working out that much, when had he gotten so huge? Was her brain remembering him as an ideal? Her big brother, larger than life?

"Almost there." He said, not taking his eyes from hers. He led her to a small tombstone that was off by itself.

Kat shook her head. She definitely didn't want to see this.

"It's all right." He shushed soothingly. A short lock of blond hair fell over his sparkling blue eyes. He looked so serene. Sam wouldn't let even his own death bring him down. He put his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her to face the tombstone.

Samuel Alexander Long

Feb. 23rd, 1976 – Dec. 9th, 2008

"Darkness can never extinguish

Such a shining light."

Kat drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes stung, but no tears came. "Sam, I can't-" She tried to turn away from the tombstone.

His hands were firm on her shoulders, not letting her turn. "Kat, it'll be all right." He said.

"That's easy for you to say." She whispered. "You're with Mom and Dad now. I'm the one who's all alone."

"But you're not alone, Kat." Sam told her earnestly. He moved his hands from her shoulders to the sides of her face. He gave her a steady look. "There are people all around you. People that want to be your friends. They're with you. _He's_ with you." Kat started shaking her head, but he held on to her firmly, his blue eyes were determined. "He'll watch over you Kat, better than I could. He'll protect you. I trust him to do that, more than anyone else."

Kat smiled weakly. "And you don't have to worry about him making a move on your little sister."

Sam tried to suppress a laugh, but it forced itself out. "A fringe benefit." He agreed, then turned serious again. "Don't make me laugh, I'm trying to do this right. That's all I ever wanted for you, someone to watch over you when I couldn't." He grinned at her. "You're kind of hopeless on your own."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. Some big brother you are."

Sam chuckled. "Brat." He said fondly. He kissed her forehead. "You know I'm right." His eyes turned sympathetic. "I didn't bring you here just to torture you, or to joke around. You need to understand that I'm gone. You need to accept it. So you can face what's up ahead."

Kat gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

There was a sharp crack beside her. She turned back to the tombstone. A chip was missing from the top. Sam was looking in the opposite direction, his face grim. Kat followed his gaze.

The unknown man stood, gun pointed at the two of them, a few rows down. He was exactly as she had always seen him, right down to the black sunglasses.

Kat's pulse quickened. She felt something like terror creeping over her, numbing her limbs. Sam dropped his hands to his sides and stood in front of Kat. Kat could still see the unknown man around his arm. "Once you accept that I'm dead, you'll be able to face him." Sam said quietly.

Before Kat could react, the unknown man fired. Sam jerked back, then fell against his tombstone. Kat watched in horror as his white dress shirt slowly stained with red.

Kat turned back to the unknown man. His gun was pointed at her now.

There was no one to protect her. No one to stand in the way.

There was nothing she could do.

********

Kat woke with a gasp, her eyes flying open. She sat bolt-upright in her bunk, looking around in the darkness.

"Kat, your heart rate and breathing are accelerated. Is something wrong?" K.I.T.T asked.

Kat collapsed back onto her pillow weakly. "No... I'm fine. I think."

"You're not certain?"

"I just... had a bad dream, that's all."

"What was it about? You were mumbling incoherently."

Kat stared at the ceiling for a long moment, one hand on her forehead.

"Kat?"

Kat closed her eyes against remembered pain. "Nothing. It was about nothing." K.I.T.T was silent. Something occurred to Kat then. "How do you know that my heart rate is accelerated?" She asked. "Can you hear it all the way down there?"

"No, I can see it." K.I.T.T answered.

"That makes even less sense." Kat told him.

"My Forward Looking Infrared is very precise. You are technically only fifty yards away from me, so I can see the individual parts of you that give off the most heat, like your heart, quite clearly."

"You can see my heart..." Kat said slowly. "That's sort of romantic. In a creepy, morbid, stalker-ish kind of way." She shook her head, sitting back up. "You can do other things at night, you know. You don't have to watch over me like a mother hen."

"I am far from idle." K.I.T.T told her. "I am also learning Latin."

"Moving on to dead languages now?" Kat asked.

"It may be useful to us one day." K.I.T.T replied.

"Yeah." Kat agreed. "The next time we go up against a bunch of wizards, you'll have me covered."

"I am detecting sarcasm in your voice." K.I.T.T said dryly.

"Oh?" Kat asked. "Is that so? Huh... Imagine that. Sarcasm! From _me_?"

"Are you done?"

Kat laughed. "For now." She put a hand over her mouth and yawned. In the opposite bunk, Angela turned over and sighed. Kat glanced at her. "I'm heading down." She whispered to K.I.T.T. "Before I wake Angela."

Kat grabbed her pillow and blanket and headed down to the Main Lab. K.I.T.T sat alone on his circle. He opened the door for her and lowered the front seat. Kat crawled into the back seat and curled up.

"Is there a particular reason that you sleep in my back seat during time of stress?" K.I.T.T asked her as he closed the door.

Behind her eyelids, Kat saw the unknown man and shivered. "Times of stress? Do I do that?" She asked casually.

"Yes." K.I.T.T, of course, hadn't fallen for her light tone.

Kat looked across the cabin to his Voice Modulator. "I dunno. I guess it's a security thing."

"Security?"

Kat turned over, facing away from the Modulator. "Yeah. Where else is safer?"

"The secret underground warehouse under the Pentagon is said to be able to withstand nuclear impact." K.I.T.T replied.

Kat's eyebrows raised. "Well. Uh... I don't really have regular access to the Pentagon, do I?"

"You do not." K.I.T.T agreed.

"You'll do, though." Kat told him sleepily.

"Interesting."

Kat thought about asking what was so interesting, but her eyes were getting awfully heavy. She allowed herself to drift back to sleep with no fuss. If she remembered later on, she would ask him.

********

Kat woke late the next morning. The first thing she did was raid the kitchen. "I need some comfort food." She said, pulling out a loaf of bread. She rummaged in the fridge for some cheese.

"What is comfort food?" K.I.T.T asked.

"Oh? Not just going to look it up yourself?" Kat asked coyly.

"I want to hear what you believe it is." K.I.T.T told her. "The more I learn of humans, the more I realize that they can use the same words, but mean entirely different things."

"And here I thought you were just being lazy."

"I am never lazy." K.I.T.T said haughtily.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Well, comfort food for me is something that is very calming when I'm not quite feeling myself. My comfort foods are things that my mother used to make me and Sam when we were kids, helps me get back in touch with who I am. Mac and cheese out of the box, it was kind of a treat for us because Mom only ever made it when we had a particularly rough day. That might be because she had had a rough day too and didn't really feel like cooking. There's also spaghetti with homemade sauce from my grandmother's recipe. Baked potatoes. English muffin pizzas. And of course, grilled cheese."

"That sounds wonderful." Angela said from behind Kat. "I'll have one of everything."

Kat looked over at Angela. "Sorry, just making grilled cheese right now."

Angela shrugged. "It'll do."

Kat laughed. "If I can find the American cheese..." There was an entire drawer of cheese in the monster fridge, but she couldn't find American. "You guys never heard of Kraft singles?" Kat exclaimed as she shoved a wedge of Brie out of her way.

"Use the mild cheddar, it makes awesome grilled cheese." Angela suggested. She was getting the plate and frying pan ready.

"What about pre-sliced cheese?" Kat asked. "Why do you have no pre-sliced cheese?"

"I'll tell Kevin to stock it when I see him." Angela said.

"Who's Kevin?" Kat asked as she pulled out a block of cheddar and hunted through the drawers for a cheese slicer.

"Head of the Custodial Staff." Angela said. "Though 'Staff' might not be the right word since there's only him and two other people."

Kat sliced the cheddar, then Angela put the sandwiches together while Kat prepped the pan. Soon, they had a neat little pile of sandwiches. "So..." Angela began. "Three for me?" She asked hopefully.

"Two each." Kat said, bringing the plate to the table.

"You're so skinny, where does it all go?" Angela frowned.

"I'm tall, what's your excuse? You eat twice as much as I do." Kat set the plate on the table and sat down.

"Art takes a lot out of me." Angela replied taking, her seat. She slid her sketchbook over to herself and flipped through the pages. She stopped at one and slid the book over to Kat.

"Hey, this is awesome!" Kat exclaimed, studying the picture. It was a sketch of K.I.T.T and Kat. Kat was lying on her back on K.I.T.T's hood and windshield.

"Thank you." Angela said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Kat began flipping through the other pages while she ate. "You've got everyone in here, don't you?" She asked. She found one of Charles, hard at work on some piece of circuitry or other, his reading glasses slipping down his nose. His intent expression was captured perfectly.

"Pretty much." Angela said around a mouthful. "There's one of David too, look."

"Wow." Kat said, looking at the sketch. "I didn't think a person could 'draw' evil." David was standing outside of his office, both hands on the metal railing. The perspective was from the floor below. "He's like an evil Overlord, surveying his domain. You even got those eyebrows of his just perfect."

She flipped to the next page and paused. She stared at the page for a long time. Angela waved her hand in front of Kat's face. "I'm stealing your grilled cheese." She warned.

Kat started. She looked up at Angela. "Oh, sorry. I was just..." She looked back down at the sketch, she gently traced those bright eyes with her fingers. "Angela, you really have a gift." Kat told her.

"It's just drawing. I double as out sketch artist." She joked humbly.

Kat shook her head. "It's not just the drawing. You managed to get my brother to sit still long enough to be sketched. That takes talent."

Angela grinned. "No easy task, I assure you. I told him I was going to nail his feet to the floor."

They laughed together. "How did you ever wind up here?" Kat asked her.

Angela shrugged. "David found me. He found all of us." She placed her chin in one palm thoughtfully. "I used to work for a movie studio, doing makeup and making costumes and such. I was in a few credits, nothing too big. David just showed up at the studio one day." She smiled serenely. "When he told me I had to live underground I told him to go to hell."

"How did he manage to convince you?"

"Don't think too badly of me for this. But it was the money." Angela shrugged. "He was offering twice what I was making then, and he promised me my own studio. I grudgingly accepted. In four more years, my contract expires. Then, I'm going to take my savings and open up my own studio."

"An art studio, or a costume design studio?" Kat asked.

Angela grinned, her nose scrunching cutely. "Probably a little of both."


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 7 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 2**

David was startled awake as cold water was doused over him. He gasped sharply, his body jerking in surprise. Not that he could go anywhere, he was still bound to his chair. His limbs had gone numb hours ago.

How long had it been since he had been thrown into the back of that van? Two days? Four? He was so weary. His throat burned with thirst and his stomach ached with hunger. K.A.R.R obviously didn't know that humans needed to be fed regularly. Or it was all part of the torture.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head for a second, then he focused on the laptop across the table from him. "Had enough?" He asked weakly.

"I should be asking you that." K.A.R.R answered dully. "You are the one being tortured."

David tried to shrug, but his bonds made that impossible. He gave up after one attempt. "You call this torture? Reminds me of my honeymoon."

The man standing beside him struck him again. David felt his lip split. He reeled for a second, before turning back to the laptop, ignoring his assailant. "Your minion hits like a girl." He said as blood dribbled slowly down his chin. "My ex-wife could show him a thing or two about throwing a punch."

"You seem to be feeling rather sentimental about your wife." KARR said in his gravelly, blank voice. "Perhaps we should bring her down here so she can watch you suffer. Karen Summers was her name, wasn't it?"

"You want to kidnap Karen too?" David asked. He began to giggle uncontrollably. "Sure, go and get her. She'll have this place shut down in ten minutes." He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

K.A.R.R's minion punched him again. David's vision blurred. The room spun for a second as he nearly blacked out. Then it slowly slid back into focus. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that he didn't feel the pain anymore?

"You're not going to break me, KARR." David slurred slightly as he said it. Then his voice picked up, stronger. "You can't beat me into submission. You can't starve me into compliance. The only thing you can do is kill me. But that's the one thing you won't do."

"You will break." K.A.R.R told him with complete confidence.

David shook his head. "These methods of yours. They won't work on someone like me. They work on someone who is good, in character and in heart. Someone who doesn't see the evil inherent in people. Someone like that, if you drag them into the darkness... they go mad." He glanced over at the unknown man. "They just shut down..."

He turned back to the laptop. "But not me, KARR. I am an evil man. I know this and accept it. Hell, I even embrace it. Those dark places... I know more about them than even you do. You can't drive me mad, I already am." His dark eyes burned with inner fire. "You might as well just kill me."

"You are still useful. Even if you do not cooperate." KARR told him.

********

F.L.A.G. Underground Facility

A loud crash echoed through the Main Lab. Pierce rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "Do you mind _not_ making earsplitting noises when I am trying to construct precise coding?" He called to Carmen while he continued to work. "You've been doing that all day."

"Yeah, sorry." Carmen said hurriedly, bending down to pick up what she dropped.

Pierce's eyebrows shot up. Carmen apologizing? To him? That was a first. He glanced over at her. She seemed very distracted, and her hands trembled slightly. There were dark circles under her eyes as well.

Pierce just turned back to his work. If he said anything about it to her, she would probably just yell at him.

Kat walked into the Main Lab and headed down the stairs. She opened K.I.T.T's door and slid into the Driver's seat. A few seconds later she stepped out again. She walked around to K.I.T.T's hood, frowning. "KITT?" She asked. K.I.T.T was silent.

"Pierce." Kat called to him over her shoulder. "I don't want to be unduly alarmed here, but KITT's not responding to anything I say."

"He's asleep." Pierce told her.

"KITT _sleeps_?" Kat asked in disbelief.

"Not like we do." Pierce said. He looked up at her. "Come over here, I'll show you."

"I thought he was being way too quiet." Kat said to herself as she walked over to Pierce's desk. Pierce indicated one of his monitors. "That looks like a defrag display." She commented.

"That's exactly what it is." Pierce told her. "I'm defragging his hard drives right now. While I do this, I put his CPU Core into a kind of Sleep Mode, where it uses minimal memory and resources. I actually developed a program for him to run during these times." He pointed to another monitor. Images flashed quickly on the screen. It was far too fast for Kat to follow, or even see what they were.

"What is that?" She asked.

"While he's in Sleep Mode, this program takes things he's seen and experienced, randomizes them, and plays them back. This way he can learn new things from old experiences by seeing them in new ways."

Kat looked confused. "But isn't that just like how we, humans I mean,-"

"Dream, yes." Pierce nodded. "That's where I got the idea. I read an article about how newborns spent most of the day sleeping. They can't fully absorb information as they sense it, so their subconsciousness will replay everything back to them while asleep. That's how a baby does a large part of it's learning in the beginning of it's life. In regards to KITT, it's not exactly like how we dream. The way he processes information is vastly different from the way humans do. But the analogy fits well enough I believe."

"So... how long till he wakes up?" Kat asked.

"Another hour?" Pierce estimated. "I should have defragged sooner, but things have been pretty hectic lately."

"Hectic." Kat nodded. "Not a word I would use. 'Disastrous' is more fitting."

Pierce inhaled deeply. "Yep."

Kat stared at the two monitors. "KITT has so much of personality. I forget that it was all programmed in." She said softly. "I'll let you get back to work." She moved away from the desk.

Just then, there was another echoing crash. Pierce rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Work would be nice, if I could just get some relative quiet." He shot a quick glare at Carmen.

Kat made her way over to Carmen's workstation. The smaller woman was hurriedly putting tools back into a toolbox she had knocked over. "Carmen?" Kat asked. "Are you okay?"

Carmen didn't respond. She finished replacing the tools and stood up. She saw Kat then and started, nearly dropping the toolbox again. "Katherine! Don't sneak up on me! It's dangerous over here."

Kat arched a brow. "I'll say." She had never seen Carmen so on edge. She looked positively fearful. "Are you feeling all right?"

Carmen nodded, a little too quickly. "_Ah? Muy bueno_. Why do you ask?"

"You seem a little... distracted." Kat said. She noted the dark circles under Carmen's eyes. "Have you been sleeping okay?"

Carmen laughed. "Me? Sleep?" Kat gave her a steady look. "Maybe I haven't been sleeping that great." Carmen admitted finally in a low murmur.

Kat nodded. "Same here. Last night I had a nightmare. It was about Sam." Normally, this was not something Kat would have mentioned. But she felt that if she offered something, Carmen might open up a bit about what was bothering her.

"I had a nightmare too." Carmen said quietly. "It was about _Mamá_."

"You dreamed about _Abuela_?" Enrique asked sharply, appearing at Carmen's side.

Carmen nodded. Enrique grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her down in a nearby chair. Kat was surprised that Enrique was so rough with his aunt. But she was more surprised that Carmen allowed it. "What did you dream about?" He asked urgently.

Carmen's shoulders were slumped. She fidgeted. "What else would bother me like this?" She asked helplessly. "I dreamed that she gave up. She stopped fighting." Carmen looked incredibly pained.

"Has something happened to your mother?" Kat asked Carmen in concern.

"She's sick." Enrique said shortly, his eyes still on his aunt. "That's how David got us here." His voice was bitter. "He manipulated us."

"That's not exactly how it happened." Carmen countered. "He gave us a choice."

"There was no choice." Enrique said quietly.

Carmen looked over at Kat. "You look confused. Want to hear it from the beginning?"

"Only if it'll help. Talking about it." Kat told her.

Carmen nodded. She bowed her head as she started to speak.

********

Richmond Hill, Queens, NYC

**January, 2008 – One year ago...**

"Looks like the carburetor is busted. Gonna need a few days to order a new one. Might set you back a bit..." Antonio Delgado told his customer, a nervous yuppie in a brown business suit. A blue Nissan stood next to them, it's hood popped open.

The man looked horrified. "I don't understand how this happened. How much is it going to cost me?"

Antonio mused for a bit. "Three... four grand..."

"_Papá_! What do you think you are doing?" Carmen walked over to the pair and the car. She thrust one hand into the car's innards. She pulled something out and tossed it to the yuppie. He caught it reflexively. "You need a new spark plug." She replaced her hand in the car. "All fixed. Twenty bucks. Get out."

Carmen pulled her father to the side and began speaking to him in rapid Spanish. Her father held up his hands, talking to her calmly while her voice got louder and louder. "I'm just trying to make a living, Carmen." He said.

"And I'm trying to keep you making an _honest_ living!" She glared at the taller man. "You want our customers coming _back_, don't you?"

"Carmen... Just settle down." Her father said, making placating gestures. "Your Mama isn't getting any better. We need money."

Carmen's face was grim. "And we'll get it. Honestly."

Antonio sighed heavily. "Honestly." He agreed.

"Good." Carmen said. She stalked off, to the back of the garage. She opened the door there and peered out into the alley. Frigid air hit her face. She shivered immediately. "Enri!" She shouted. "Get back in here!"

Enrique sighed. "In a minute _Tia_, I'm on break."

Carmen heard a female giggle. She rubbed her upper arms, which were quickly freezing. "Break does not last an hour." She said sternly.

A few seconds later, Enrique stood in front of her. Carmen let him pass, closing the door behind him. She held her hand out, palm up, behind him. He turned to her. "Aw, come on, _Tia_." He said.

"Give it to me." Carmen said, the look in her eyes showed she wasn't going to argue.

Enrique reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He put it in her hand. She turned it off and pocketed it. "Now maybe you'll get some work done." She said.

"Yeah, work." Enrique agreed sourly. "Can't have too much of that."

"That's right." Carmen agreed bitterly.

It was then that the atmosphere in the garage changed. Everyone became still, looking outside. Carmen looked with them.

She watched as a black Aston Martin DB AR1 pulled up in front of the garage. Her mouth fell open. "Who the hell..." She whispered.

A man in a black suit stepped out of the car. He was average height, with pale skin and dark hair. His suit was obviously designer made, probably tailored. His briefcase was made of leather, and his watch could probably pay the garage's rent for two months.

Her father walked up to the man almost eagerly. They exchanged words quietly. Carmen studied the man. She didn't like him, but she wasn't sure why. It was more than the fact that he didn't fit in here. In this neighborhood or even this borough. It was something else...

Antonio's face fell a little. He turned to Carmen. "Carmen! You have a visitor."

Carmen's eyebrows shot up as she heard low whistles all over the garage. "Did little Carmen get her hooks into a sugar daddy?" Her brother, Diego, whispered over the top of a Chevy.

Carmen shot him a withering look. She walked over to the man in the suit. "What do you want?" She asked gruffly. She really didn't like this guy now.

"You are CarD84?" He asked, studying her face carefully.

Carmen narrowed her chocolate-brown eyes. "That's the name I use online..." She said slowly.

The man placed his briefcase on top of a tool chest. He popped it open, pulling out a piece of paper. He showed it to her. "This is your design?" He asked.

Carmen glanced at the paper. It was a printout of her blog. The design in question was a few sketches she had done of an engine. She had thought of the concept a while back and had been working on it in her spare time. "That's mine." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fully yours?" He questioned. "You didn't get the idea from somewhere?" He looked around the garage. "One of your brothers or uncles... maybe something you saw on the Internet?" He focused his dark eyes back on Carmen. He pulled off one black leather glove and placed two fingertips on her neck, checking her pulse.

Carmen gave him a frosty glare. "Yes, it's completely mine." She said stonily. "Now, who are you?"

He dropped his hand. "You're telling the truth." He looked a little surprised.

"Who. Are. You." Carmen's voice was turning deadly. The muscle in her delicate jaw tightened.

"My name is David Marks." He placed the paper on top of his briefcase and reached into the inside pocket of his long black coat. He pulled out a business card and held it out to her.

Carmen took it from his hand and looked it over. "Knight Industries? What do you want with me?"

"I want your engine, Miss Delgado. Specifically this engine. And I am willing to pay you an exorbitant amount of money to get it."

Carmen arched a brow. "Are you kidding me?"

"I am always serious." David said. And it was true that he looked like a man that never smiled.

"Doesn't matter. You can't buy what doesn't exist. That's just a concept, an idea." She nodded at the paper. "Not a reality."

"How long would it take to make it a reality? If you were provided with sufficient funds and labor?" He asked.

Carmen shrugged. "No idea. Two years?"

"Have it done in six months and I will pay you the amount on the back of that card." He told her.

Carmen turned the card over. That was a lot of zeros... "Now I know you're messing with me." She said, turning away.

"I am deadly serious, Miss Delgado." David said. "This design is your property right now, and I will do whatever I have to in order to make it _my_ property."

Carmen didn't bother turning around. "There's something wrong about you. I don't like it. Get lost." She walked further into the garage.

Enrique studied David carefully. He had a bad feeling in his gut. This was not a man who ever brought good news.

"You have my card, when you change your mind." David told Carmen calmly. He took his briefcase, turned, and walked back to his car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 7 – Nightmares**

Author's Note: A few people have compared David to Torres from the new show. I brought this up to the BF at home and he said this to me: "David at least looks out for his people, Torres is just an ***hole."

I'll let that speak for itself.

Chapter 3

Carmen sighed heavily as she stepped out of the bathroom. She wore a faded blue robe and was toweling her hair dry. It had been a long, and weird, day. She was glad that it was over.

She walked down the hall into her room. It was a converted closet, with only enough room for her bed, and a dresser. She couldn't access the bottom drawer of her dresser because the bed was in the way. At least she wasn't crammed in with the boys though.

Speaking of the boys... Their room was right next door and the music they were blaring was making the thin walls vibrate. Carmen banged on the wall with the heel of her hand. "Lower that!" She yelled.

The music lowered to a dull roar, enough so she could hear a phone ringing somewhere in her room. "Crap." She muttered. "Forgot to give Enri back his phone." She picked up her coveralls from the floor and pulled out Enrique's phone.

But, it wasn't what was making the ringing noise. That's right... she had turned it off. Carmen frowned. "Then what...?"

She reached into another pocket of her coveralls and pulled out a sleek black phone. It was a pretty high-tech model, not the kind cell phone companies gave away for free when you sign up for their calling plans.

Carmen looked it over as it continued to ring. "What in the..." She flipped it open and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Miss Delgado. I believe that my cell phone may have accidentally fallen into your pocket when we spoke earlier."

Carmen rolled her eyes. She should have known. "Are you stalking me?" She asked heatedly.

"No, I gave up on that years ago, it never works." David said pleasantly. "I would like to negotiate a time and place where I can retrieve my phone though."

Carmen decided to cut to the chase. She wasn't one for dancing around a subject. "I'm not building that engine for you." She said. "It's impossible anyway. An engine like that doesn't exist."

"Yet." David said. "It will once you build it."

Carmen sat down on her bed and sighed. "Look, it would be nice. But I don't think I'm your mechanic. I had an idea, that's all. I mean, where would I begin?"

"Wherever you like."

Carmen shook her head. "The propulsion system would never work. And how would I go about fueling it?" She thought for a moment. "Although... it would be rather small. I could probably fit another part under the hood, to process the fuel..." She stood up and began pacing. "No, the whole thing is too light, if you put this in a car, it would lose stability."

"Weight is a problem." David agreed. "The car we are building is too heavy."

"What kind of car is it?" Carmen asked. She couldn't help herself. "I didn't know Knight Industries made cars. Don't you guys build tanks?"

"Occasionally. I'm afraid I can only divulge details of this project to those working on it."

"It's weird." Carmen said. "You going to all this effort, just because of a drawing I put online."

"You've been under surveillance as well. From what I have seen, I believe you would be a valuable asset to my team."

"You've been spying on me?" Carmen asked indignantly, springing to her feet.

"Yes." David answered simply. "And honestly, I can't see why you tolerate that little garage. Your potential is being wasted there. You do twice the work of your brothers and uncles, and do it twice as efficiently. Where did you learn cars so well?"

Carmen blinked in surprise, her temper defused. "Well... I..." She sat back down on her bed. "I live above a garage." She said weakly. "Cars are my life. Ever since I could toddle down the stairs and into the garage."

"And building the 'Ultimate Car' doesn't interest you?" David said persuasively.

Carmen became suspicious. "You hardly seem like a nice guy." She said. "There's something like _el diablo_ about you. Your offer sounds good, but when you deal with the Devil, there is always a catch."

"Very perceptive. There is indeed a catch. If you agree to build this engine for me, then for the next five years you will work for me. You will have to leave that little garage, go somewhere very far away. Live underground even."

Carmen snorted. "No way. Building my engine sounds like a dream come true, but family is family. No way am I leaving. Now tell me how I can get your phone back to you."

"My mistake, it's not my phone." David said. "It's yours." Then he hung up.

Carmen stared at the phone in her hand. She cupped it in both hands and ran through the menus. The phone book was filled with numbers. Numbers and addresses of every single person she knew. The picture album was filled with pictures of the garage, her Uncle's house, her old high school, and even that little diner she went to when she wanted to eat out.

An icy shiver ran down her spine. She closed the phone. "That man is _el diablo..._" She whispered. She collapsed on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

********

Carmen slept badly that night. The next day she couldn't focus on her work. She forgot things, and misplaced others.

Enrique walked over to her. "Can I have my phone back?" He asked irritably.

She turned to him, startled. "Yeah, sure." She pulled a phone out of her pocket. She started to hand it to him but realized it was the wrong one. She reached into her other pocket and returned his own phone to him.

He turned on his phone and checked his messages. "What's that?" He asked as Carmen pocketed the other phone.

"Nothing." She said.

Enrique looked at her suspiciously. "Is that from the guy who was here yesterday?"

"Yeah, he forgot it." Carmen said.

"A bad wind follows that man, _Tia_. What did he want?"

"He offered me a job." Carmen said nonchalantly. Enrique's dark eyebrows shot up. Carmen smacked his arm irritably. "As a _mechanic_."

Enrique grinned. "Ah, then he knows his mechanics. He wants the best."

Carmen gave him an exasperated look. "Yeah, right." She said.

"You know it's true, _Tia_. You've got a gift. Blood don't run through your veins. Motor oil does."

"And I drink gasoline for breakfast." Carmen rolled her eyes.

"Would explain that fiery temper."

"Get back to work." She shot at him. She walked over to a trash can. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and got ready to dump it.

"Carmen, Diego!" Their father hurried into the garage. Carmen looked up sharply. "Get your brothers, I just got a call from the hospital." Antonio's face was grim.

Carmen felt her stomach drop into her boots. " _Mamá?_" She asked, her large eyes were wide and fearful.

Antonio took her to the side. "She's attacked an orderly." He kept his voice low.

Carmen shook her head. " _Mamá_ wouldn't do something like that."

"She did." Her father was deadly serious. "They're talking about moving her to a more secure ward..."

"They want to lock her up?" Carmen's voice climbed a few octaves.

Antonio shushed her with a gesture. "Get your brothers, and we'll go down and see her, all right?" Carmen nodded and hurried away.

********

Queens General Hospital, Queens, NYC

Hours later, Carmen stepped out of her mother's room. She closed the door behind her softly, her head bowed.

"She doesn't recognize you anymore, does she?"

Carmen jumped. She looked over at David, who was leaning against the wall next to the door, not two feet from her. "You really want to get hurt, don't you?" She stalked past him, continuing down the hall.

"She won't get better here." David said. "All they do is medicate her, put her in a stupor so she's easier to deal with. They're not trying to find out what's causing it. They're not trying o help her."

"I know that." Carmen shot over her shoulder. She kept walking.

"I know of a place where she _can_ get better."

Carmen paused. Her hands clenched into fists. "You have ten seconds." She said.

David seized his chance. "There is a private hospital upstate. One of the best. They have a comprehensive Psych Ward. Your mother would be treated with the utmost respect, and get the treatment she deserves. The waiting list is a mile long, but I can put her at the head of it."

"And you want to put her there for five years while I work for you. Then what? Yank her back out when I leave?" Carmen's vision blurred.

David began walking over to her slowly. "Five years from you, and she is taken care of for life."

"I'll be gone for five years though. Separated from my family. How do I know that this hospital is as good as you say?"

"My father is there." David said quietly.

Carmen turned, looking back at him. "Your father?" She scrutinized his face, searching for some trace of deception.

"Yes." The single word rang true. More so than anything else she had heard from him since she met him yesterday.

"And they'll really help _Mamá?_" Carmen asked, making sure.

David nodded. "You won't be completely cut off. You can exchange letters, emails. No phone conversations I'm afraid."

"What about the rest of my family? They need me at the garage."

"I'll make sure they are more than adequately compensated." David assured her. "Do we have a deal?"

Carmen held out her hand. "Fine."

David looked at her hand and grimaced. "I prefer these." He said. He opened up his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers. He handed them to her along with a silver pen.

Carmen looked the papers over. There were a lot of them. "Sign at all the dotted lines?" She asked.

"If you would. I would like for us to leave as soon as possible. You're not the only person I need to hire."

Carmen leaned the papers against the wall and put the pen to the paper. "_Tia_, wait." Carmen turned her head. Enrique was standing at the end of the hallway. "You're just going to leave everyone?" He asked. "Were you even going to say good bye?"

Carmen scowled. "I was going to say good bye." She lowered her eyes. "Maybe."

"_Tia_..." Enrique walked over. He regarded David coldly.

"Look, it's a good deal. I get to do something I've only dreamed about, and _Mamá_ gets the treatment she needs."

"If you go off by yourself, then who will look after you?" Enrique asked. "At least think about this more."

David looked at his watch. "This deal is only available for a brief period. My plane leaves in four hours."

Enrique glared at David. "You've had you chance to speak already, so shut up."

"Enri, I've already decided." Carmen told him firmly. "I don't back down when I say I'm going to do something. You know that."

"Then I'll go with you." Enrique said.

Carmen looked dumbfounded. "What...?"

Enrique turned to David. "How about it? You're a business man. Two mechanics for the price of one."

David considered it for a brief second. "Deal." He handed Enrique a contract as well. "I'm afraid she has my only pen though." He gestured to Carmen.

Carmen was giving Enrique a deadly look. "You're going to just leave all of them?" She asked.

Enrique shrugged. "Same as you." He said.

"I don't mean our family." She said. She reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone before he could stop her. She flipped it open, going to the phone book. "I'm talking about Erica, Cynthia, Destiny, Gina, Tanya-" Enrique tried to grab the phone from her but she dodged, her eyes still on the tiny screen. "Jocelyn, Sarah, Beth, and Lisa." She arched a brow at him.

"They'll live." Enrique said, snatching his phone back. He pocketed it quickly. He lowered his voice, bending down to her ear. "Look, how do you know this guy is legit?" He asked. "What if he's dangerous?"

"I dunno. He seems too High Class to be a lowlife." Carmen answered.

"Lowlifes are in every class." Enrique told her. "Let me come with you, make sure you're all right." He smiled. "Besides, if it is legit, you think I'm gonna to let you build Supercar by yourself?"

"What's with everyone spying on me?" Carmen asked. She sighed. "Fine, you can come with." She signed her name on the contract, then handed the pen to Enrique.

Once they were both signed, David placed them in his briefcase. He handed them both a new sheaf of papers. "Welcome to FLAG." He smiled venomously.

********

"And, that's it." Carmen said. "Here we are."

Enrique crossed his arms over his chest. "I still find it so very 'odd' that the day after you say no to him, one of _Abuela's _nurses just happens to forget her medication that day, and so she attacks an orderly with his own pen."

"It was a coincidence." Carmen said.

"I still reserve judgment." Enrique said darkly.

"How's you mom been since then?" Kat asked Carmen.

Carmen's eyes shone with inner light. "Better. So much better." She said, then her expression turned worried. "She has to try so hard though. It's so difficult, and she's not young. Sometimes, I'm afraid she'll give up, she'll stop fighting to stay sane." Carmen looked around Kat and spotted Pierce watching them. "If you start any cracks..." She began threateningly.

Pierce held up his hands. "I thought it was a very touching story." He said defensively.

Carmen gave him a suspicious look, but didn't press him.

"What about you Pierce?" Kat asked. "How did David con you into joining FLAG?"

"Oh my story is not nearly as interesting, or as heart wrenching as Carmen's." Pierce said matter-of-factly. He turned back to his monitors.

"Tell us anyway." Kat said playfully. "We still have a while before KITT wakes up. I'm bored."

Pierce sighed. "Because we all know my chief function is to alleviate boredom."

"I'm never bored when you're here to make fun of." Carmen offered. Pierce frown at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Pierce leaned back in his chair. "Oh fine... As long as you all promise not to laugh."

Kat traced an X over her heart. "I swear."

Pierce looked up at the ceiling, and folding his hands behind his head. "Let's see... I think it was just last year..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 7 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 4**

Knight Industries Corporate Headquarters, NYC

**January, 2008 – One year ago...**

Pierce leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. He rubbed his tired eyes. He had spent at least five hours of overtime trying to fix the server problem. Didn't people know not to mess with delicate systems? Especially when they didn't know what they were doing...

He reached under his desk to the silver mini fridge there. Technically, he wasn't supposed to have it. But what was his boss going to do, fire him? Again? Yeah, that worked real well in the past.

He pulled out a blue bottle and popped the cap. He downed the drink and tossed the bottle in the bin behind him. The caffeine hit him about thirty seconds later. He went back to work, typing quickly..

It was late, everyone else had left and most of the lights on this floor were out. This was a good thing, though. Less people to screw things up and make more work for him.

"Are you Pierce Caddell?"

Pierce jumped. He looked over at the man who had appeared at the entrance to his cubicle in alarm. "Where did you come from? Don't you know not to sneak up on a coder who's ODing on caffeine?"

The man arched a dark brow. "Going to attack me with your stapler?" He asked blandly.

Pierce picked up the black stapler. He turned his chair to face the man, leaning back. "Hey, this thing has some weight to it." He studied the man over the top of his wire-frame glasses. "I know you." He said. "What brings you all the way down to the coal mines, Vice President?"

"I'm not Vice President any longer, I'm afraid." David said. "I've been assigned to a new project."

"Ah, man, that's rough." Pierce said, without a trace of sympathy in his voice. "Well, this has been a lovely chat, but I've got to get back to this." He turned his chair back to his monitor.

"You're here awfully late." David commented.

Pierce turned his chair back to face David. "Oh, you still want to talk. Sure, let's talk. It's not like I have... I dunno, 'work' to do or something." He folded his hands in front of him, entwining his long fingers together. "Yes, it's late. It's very late. And I'm still here."

"Why is that, exactly?" David asked.

Pierce gave the man a sympathetic look, as if he was slow. "Because there is still work to do."

David looked around at the empty cubicles. "Your co-workers were the ones who crashed the server. Why are they not here helping you?"

"They went home at five O'clock." Pierce snorted. "Good riddance. They would only create more work for me."

"No one is here to stop you from going home yourself." David said.

Pierce gave him a look. "If I leave the server like this, tomorrow morning half the people on this floor will be unable to access the network. Which will set our whole project behind a day. I don't mind work, I just hate 'unnecessary' work." He turned back to his monitor and began typing at his keyboard.

David gave him a long look. "You'll do."

Pierce arched a brow and glanced at him. "Dare I ask for what? Do I have to call Human Resources?" He reached for the phone on the desk. "Ah, they're not going to be there." He looked back at David. "I still have my stapler." He warned.

David was unfazed. "You misunderstood my meaning." He said.

"Oh good, I was hoping I was." Pierce responded. He focused back on his work.

"I told you before that I am in charge of a new project. I've come here to do some headhunting." David explained. "It's best to start with our own people for something like this." He paused, his expression thoughtful. "But you seem to have a problem with authority."

"Only if I'm smarter than my boss." Pierce said simply, still typing at his keyboard. "Which is usually the case."

"Then, your work is not challenging enough? Perhaps you need a promotion." David suggested.

Pierce frowned. "No thank you. I am at the highest level where I still do actual work. After me it's all suits and meetings and firing underlings. Managers don't get work done, they just make work more difficult."

"Trust me, you'll have your work cut out for you." David muttered.

Pierce was ignoring what he was saying. "Headhunting, huh? This late? Seems to me that you targeted me specifically."

"Perceptive."

"So, why? What separates me from the seething masses?" Pierce glanced at him briefly.

"I've had access to your files. Something you are working on has intrigued me." David told him calmly.

Pierce looked disturbed now. "What files? Nothing on the network should have set off any alarms."

"Something not on the network."

"My _personal_ files?" Pierce stopped his work and turned to David. "How did you access those? They're encrypted."

"Indeed, gave Charles a good bit of trouble too. He was impressed. Can you imagine what he found?"

Pierce narrowed his blue eyes. "I can guess."

"You've been developing a new Operating System, without Knight Industries knowledge or permission." David's expression was still calm.

"That's something I've been developing on my own time." Pierce said heatedly.

"That may be so, but your contract clearly states that Knight Industries owns all derivative works. _Anything_ you make belongs to this company while you are here, as you well know. What was your plan? Go get yourself fired, again, then start your own company?"

"Knight Industries isn't interested in marketing a new OS, why does it matter?" Pierce asked.

"If no one is interested, I wonder why I'm here then." David mused. He gave Pierce a steady look. "There are two ways that this could go. One, you get fired, I get the OS and use it however I like. Or two, you and the OS come with me. You get a nice promotion and a healthy pile of work for the next five years."

Pierce looked intrigued. "This is for the project you mentioned earlier? What is it?"

"Charles Graiman is creating a learning AI." David said.

Pierce's eyes widened. "_That's_ the Charles you mentioned earlier? That man's still alive?"

"Very much so, he's quite stubborn about that."

Pierce mused to himself. "A learning AI? That's impossible. It's just a theory... " He focused his attention back on David. "A program that can learn and develop on it's own. Something artificial that can _grow_... If anyone can do it, it would be Dr. Graiman. It would revolutionize the way we develop programs. What are you going to do with it? Just curious."

David's face was deadpan. "We're going to put it into a car."

Pierce gave him a long look, as if expecting to hear the rest of the joke. His glasses slipped down his nose. "A car?"

"Yes."

A small giggle escaped Pierce's lips. He covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh, that's great. You really had me going for a second there."

"I am very serious, Mr. Caddell." David said.

Pierce's chest shook with suppressed laughter. "You're going to create the most powerful AI in the world and, what? Put it in a Buick?"

"We haven't decided which car we're going to use yet. Charles is partial to Trans Ams, but they stopped making those years ago." Even now, David was absolutely serious.

"This just gets better and better." Pierce said.

"Does this mean that you are not interested?" David asked.

Pierce shrugged. "If you're serious, then I'll join up. Would be something to see, at the very least. What floor are you guys on?"

"The lab will not be located here." David said. "An underground facility is being built in New Mexico as we speak."

"New Mexico. Underground." Pierce nodded. "Okay, I'm out."

"The location is a problem." David guessed.

"Well, considering it's across the country from everything I know and love, yes, I would consider that a problem."

"You're unmarried, no girlfriend. You still live at home, don't you? With you mother?" David arched a brow.

"My mother requires a certain amount of 'looking after'." Pierce said evasively.

"Really?" David looked confused. "I got the impression she was a rather capable woman." He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'll go call her and ask her opinion."

Pierce's eyebrows pushed together. "How do you know my mother?"

His question fell on deaf ears as David dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. The other end picked up right away. "Mrs. Caddell? My apologies for calling you so late." He listened for a second. "My name is David Marks. The reason I'm calling is-" He paused, listening. "Thank you, I don't believe a woman has ever said that to me based on a phone conversation before." Pause. "Divorced."

Pierce buried his face in his hands.

David continued with his conversation, taking no notice of Pierce. "Now, to the reason that I am calling. I am here with your son. I've just offered him a promotion." He paused. "Of course there is a raise." He turned to Pierce. "How much are you making now? Forty... forty-five thousand?" He asked.

Pierce rolled his eyes. "Thirty-two thousand a year." He said.

"I can easily double that." David said into the phone. "The only problem is, he would have to move to New Mexico for the next five years." He listened for a bit more. "All right then, I'll tell him. Good bye."

David closed his phone and pocketed it. "You mother says your stuff will be packed up outside in an hour." He told Pierce.

Pierce groaned loudly, leaning back in his chair. Then he shrugged. "All right, let's go." He got up out of his seat and grabbed his coat.

"You're all ready?" David asked. He nodded to Pierce's computer. "What about the server?"

Pierce waved his hand dismissively. "Let them deal with it, I'm tired."

David popped open his briefcase and pulled out a contract. "Sign here." He handed Pierce his pen.

Pierce signed with a flourish. David took the contract and pen back, then handed Pierce a sheaf of papers. "These are yours, welcome to FLAG."

Pierce looked over the papers as they walked to the elevators. "The Foundation for Law and Government...

********

"And here I am." Pierce said, spreading out his hands.

Kat held both hands over her mouth. "That's it?" She asked, her voice muffled.

"That's it." Pierce nodded. He shot her a warning look. "Remember, you promised not to laugh."

"I know." Kat said. Her shoulders were starting to tremble. "I just have to go... check on something." She said, walking over to K.I.T.T. "In KITT." She opened the door and slipped into the Driver's seat. Once the door was closed, she collapsed on the front seat.

"She's laughing, I know it." Pierce said. Carmen chuckled. "Hey!" He said to her.

"I promised nothing." Carmen said, laughing.

It was then that K.I.T.T's defragging completed. "Is there something wrong with Kat?" He asked. "She seems to be in hysterics. She's not responding to anything I say."

"I knew it." Pierce said.

"Pierce told her a funny story." Carmen explained.

"It wasn't that funny." Pierce grumbled.

"Yes it was." Carmen giggled. Pierce narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled sweetly back at him.

"Now, that's just scary." Pierce said, turning back to his monitor.

"What funny story?" Ian asked, coming down the stairs. "I wanna hear funny stories too."

"Too late." Kat said as she stepped out of K.I.T.T. "You missed it." She looked a lot more calmer now.

"I always miss the good stuff." Ian scowled. "I was just with Charles in Building B. Still nothing on David."

Quiet settled over the Main Lab. Kat clasped her hands together and stared at them. She leaned her hip against K.I.T.T's hood.

"It's because of David." She said softly. She looked around the lab. "He's a horrible bastard, but if it wasn't for him, none of us would be here."

Carmen nodded. "You're right." Pierce said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, we do need him here." Kat said.

"He does a good job running the place." Pierce said thoughtfully. "He's ruthless and a cutthroat, but he's efficient."

"He's sneaky, and evil, but he's fair." Carmen grimaced.

"He's a liar, and a manipulator." Kat said. "But, he does what's best for the group." She placed one hand next to her on K.I.T.T's hood. "We're going to find him, and bring him back." Everyone in the Main Lab nodded.

Kat's attention was caught by movement above her. She watched Charles walk along the upper walkway, to his office. He looked extremely weary, his face drawn.

Kat patted K.I.T.T's hood. "I'll be back in a bit." She said quietly.

"I'll be here." K.I.T.T replied in her ear.

Kat headed up the metal staircase. She knocked lightly on the clear glass door to Charles' office.

Charles sat at his desk. Pieces of circuitry were laid out in front of him. At her knock he looked up and gestured for her to come in. She opened the door and stepped inside. "Ian said there was no news about David." She said.

"Whomever took him just vanished." Charles said gravely. "It's been four days now. What if they don't contact us for a ransom? What if they already have what they want? The thought keeps me up at night."

"There has to be more to this whole plan. I can't see them getting too much out of David." Kat said.

"David has always been stubborn to a fault." Charles agreed. "Ever since the day I met him."

Kat sat in the chair across from Charles'. "I smell another David story." She said.

"Have the other's been sharing?" Charles asked. "I suppose the situation makes them sentimental."

"It might help." Kat suggested. "Get your mind off of the current situation for a bit."

"Oh, I would love that." Charles said, taking off his reading glasses and setting them on his desk. "Let's see... It was just after Christmas '07..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 7 – Nightmares**

Author's Note: Someone has asked me where Michael Knight, Bonnie, Devon, and of course the original KITT, are. My universe is a direct sequel, so why haven't we seen them yet?

The answer to that is that this is Kat's and my KITT's story, and the center of focus is on them. This does not mean that we'll never see the older characters again. Not at all. But the reader's will find out what happened to them as Kat and my KITT do.

That being said, I can also say that we will see some familiar faces soon, and not just KARR...

**Chapter 5**

Charles loved tinkering. You couldn't put him in a room by himself without having him trying to dismantle your radio or toaster, or if he was really bored, your refrigerator. When he was idle, he moved from project to project rather randomly, leaving some things half finished while moving on to something new.

After he had retired from Knight Industries, they had allowed him to stay at the FLAG1 site. FLAG1 was supposed to have been the headquarters for F.L.A.G many years ago, directly underground from where the Knight Industries Two Thousand had been developed. It had been an ambitious project, but sadly it was unfinished. Costs for the underground complex and the ten mile long tunnel connecting to it had been grossly underestimated. After a tunnel collapse had killed three workers, the project had been abandoned.

It was then decided to continue the project on a smaller scale. Less people involved, a looser mission structure. It had worked extremely well at the time. FLAG1 had been all but forgotten.

Charles had gone on to other projects at Knight Industries, working up till his fiftieth birthday, when he announced his retirement. But someone like Charles could never stop working, even when retired.

Knight Industries had let him use the lab above FLAG1 for his own tinkerings, a forgotten ghost dwelling in a graveyard.

Charles had found it very peaceful these past few years.

Until that day after Christmas...

********

Charles studied the piece of microcircuitry under the huge, standing magnifying glass, the base of which was set into the desk. "Here's the problem..." He said to himself.

Something on his computer monitor flashed. He turned his eyes to it.

A black dialog box was open on the screen. White type scrolled across it:

_There is movement outside._

Charles stood up. He walked past a row of monitors. Each of their screens were black. More white letters and numbers scrolled up the screens. "Hold your horses, I'm going." Charles said. "I can't remember the last time you were this excited."

He made his way over to the wall, a large flat screen monitor was mounted here, showing the outside camera feeds. He frowned at the monitor. There was movement outside, lots of it. Some pretty heavy machinery was present as well. "What's going on out there?" He muttered.

He grabbed his cane and went downstairs. He stepped outside into the bright sunlight. The noise of engines and the rumbling of backhoes and bulldozers was nearly deafening.

One man in a black suit seemed to be directing everyone else. Charles limped heavily over to him, supporting most of his weight on his cane. He pushed his reading glasses up his nose. "What's going on here?" He asked once he was right next to the man.

The man turned and looked at him in surprise. "Dr. Graiman? Charles Graiman?" He asked.

"The one and only." Charles said wearily.

"My name is David Marks, former Vice President of Knight Industries." The man introduced himself. "I must say that I am a little shocked to find you here."

Charles frowned. "I live here. Did no one at Knight Industries tell you that?" He had to speak loudly over the din.

"Yes, they informed me of that before I left. But I didn't actually expect for you to still be alive." He looked around. "Kind of an out-of-the-way place for an old man to live all by himself, don't you think?" He looked pointedly at the cane.

"I prefer being on my own." Charles said. He turned away from David. "You might as well come inside, so we don't have to shout. Then you can tell me why you are disturbing my peace and quiet."

David followed the man into the building. He looked around at the various monitors, piles of machinery and bits of circuitry. "You've been keeping yourself busy I see." He commented.

"As best as I can." Charles said. He limped past David so he could stand in the middle of the room.

"Does this building have a basement?" David asked, pulling out his Blackberry.

"No." Charles replied.

"We'll have to add one." David said to himself, entering information into the Blackberry. "Four levels should do." He looked around. "We can call this Building B."

"What are you doing here, at the graveyard?" Charles asked, feeling a bit irritable.

"I've been assigned to head the FLAG1 project." David replied.

"The FLAG1 project?" Charles asked in disbelief. "That project was abandoned over twenty years ago."

"Not abandoned." David replied. "Just... delayed."

"That's a hell of a delay."

David's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Yes?" He listened for a moment. "Send the drills down the tunnel, I want it cleared out in two days." He hung up the phone.

"You're excavating the tunnel as well?" Charles asked.

"It'll be needed." David answered.

"It's a death trap. The last time someone tried to dig it out, three men died."

"It's been twenty years, Dr. Graiman. I'm sure tunnel building techniques have improved since then." David said dryly. "We have a great deal more funding at our disposal as well."

"Does this mean that you are also rebuilding FLAG?" Charles asked.

"Indeed. I'm the new Director."

Charles looked amazed. "After all this time..." He looked at David sharply. "Why?"

David gave him a long look. "Why not?" He asked evasively.

"What's the purpose of this?" Charles was feeling suspicious now. Knight Industries had changed since Wilton Knight had died. Charles had learned to distrust the higher-ups.

"We are approaching 2008." David said. "Technology is advancing at lightning speed. Knight Industries has to keep up. New technologies are in development now, and they need testing. Practical, real world testing."

"So, FLAG has become just another outlet for Knight Industries' military contracts." Charles guessed. He shook his head sadly. "I should have known." He began to get angry. "How are you going to convince those two to come back?" He asked. "I can already tell you that they would never be a part of this FLAG."

David looked confused. "Those two? Oh, you mean Michael Knight and Two Thousand." He waved his hand dismissively. "Michael Knight went rogue years ago, Knight Industries is no longer interested in him, or his obsolete AI. We wouldn't have him back even if he begged us."

Charles narrowed his eyes. "Then what AI are you going to use?"

David looked around at the computers. The monitors were all black, white type scrolling up the screens. "I was thinking... You've been idle for four years now. Surely you haven't given up on building AI's." He walked forward, staring at the monitors.

"You would be right." Charles grudgingly admitted. "I've been attempting to build a learning AI."

"Attempting?" David asked. He walked down the row of computers, his eyes on the screens.

Charles grimaced. "My resources here are limited. It takes a dozen computers just to get it running. Short term memory is feeble at best. And there is no long term memory to speak of." The monitors all flickered, then went blank. Charles sighed. "It also keeps crashing."

"Still..." David mused. "Our scientists are the best. I'm sure they could go a long way with this. Better resources, more stable software... Would I be able to convince you to sell it?"

He heard a loud click behind him. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

David turned slowly. Charles stood straight and tall, his cane leaning against a desk. He held a revolver pointed at David in one steady hand.

David gave him a deadpan look. "You're not going to shoot me."

"Are you certain about that?" Charles asked. "You're here, about to steal my work for what I feel are rather selfish ends. I've been misused by Knight Industries in the past, my work used in ways that I did not intend. I don't belong to Knight Industries any longer. I'm certainly not going to let them do this to me again."

"I can understand that your bitter." David said. "But you're a pacifist, Dr. Graiman. So, please, drop the act." He took a slow step toward the older man.

Charles blue-gray eyes were as hard as steel. "I wouldn't step any closer." He warned.

David moved forward deliberately. He was right in front of Charles now, the gun just a foot away from his face. Charles pulled the trigger.

There was another loud click as the hammer came down. There was no other sound. Charles lowered the gun with a heavy sigh.

David hadn't even flinched. He continued to stare at Charles, his dark eyes were thoughtful. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Chief's Special. "Mine is loaded." He said quietly, pointing the gun at Charles.

Charles didn't back down. He stood with his back straight. "Killing me is the only way you'll get the AI." He said softly.

"No." David said, that thoughtful look in his eyes much more pronounced now. "This could go another way. You're more useful alive."

"Why would I work for you?" Charles asked.

"How about you work _with_ me?" David offered. "Keep FLAG on the straight and narrow. I don't care what kind of mission we do, as long as we get our contracts and as long as the technology is tested. Go ahead, try to save the world. Or at least keep me in check."

Charles raised one white eyebrow. "Partners, then?"

David shook his head. "I don't make a good partner. But you can leave certain things to me, and I can leave certain things to you, and we'll stay out of each other's way." He lowered the gun and spread out his hands.

Charles gave the younger man a long, calculating look. "You'll do anything to get what you want, won't you?" He asked.

"That's right. I'll even compromise." David said.

"Show me what kind of team you can put together, and I'll consider it." Charles said.

"Then, I'll make sure I get the best."


End file.
